Question

electrons must be able to flow through a material in order for the material to conduct electricity related the molecular structure of the solids you tested to their ability to conduct electricity.

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Yes — for a solid to conduct electricity its electrons (or other charge carriers) must be able to move through the material. How easily they can move is determined by the material’s molecular/atomic structure and bonding. Here’s a concise map linking common solid types to their electrical behavior and why you would have seen those results in a lab:

- Metals (Cu, Al, Fe, etc.)
- Structure/bonding: metallic lattice with a “sea” of delocalized valence electrons.
- Effect: many free carriers and high electron mobility → very good electrical conductivity.
- Temperature: conductivity decreases as temperature rises (more scattering).

- Ionic solids (NaCl, KBr, many salts)
- Structure/bonding: electrons are localized on ions in a rigid lattice; charge is carried by ions, not electrons, in the solid.
- Effect: solid ionic crystals are electrical insulators. They conduct only when ions are free to move — i.e., when melted or dissolved in water.
- Lab observation: solid salt won’t conduct, but salt water or molten salt will.

- Covalent network solids (diamond, quartz)
- Structure/bonding: atoms strongly bonded with electrons localized in bonds; large band gaps.
- Effect: usually electrical insulators (diamond, SiO2).
- Exception: some covalent solids with delocalized electrons (e.g., graphite — see below).

- Layered or conjugated covalent solids (graphite, conducting polymers)
- Structure/bonding: extended π-electron systems or layers with delocalized electrons within planes.
- Effect: graphite conducts well along the layers (anisotropic conductivity); conjugated polymers can be made conductive by doping.

- Molecular solids (sugars, ice, many organic crystals)
- Structure/bonding: neutral molecules held by weak intermolecular forces; electrons stay bound to molecules.
- Effect: usually good electrical insulators.

- Semiconductors (Si, Ge, GaAs)
- Structure/bonding: covalent network but with a small band gap between valence and conduction bands.
- Effect: low conductivity at low temperature, increases with temperature or light; conductivity increases drastically when doped (added impurities) because doping provides free carriers.
- Lab observation: intrinsic silicon is a poor conductor compared with metals, but a doped wafer conducts much better.

- Special case: superconductors
- Below a critical temperature certain materials show zero resistance — a quantum effect not explained by classical band pictures.

Other factors that affect the measured conductivity
- Defects, grain boundaries, impurities and doping can increase or decrease carrier density and mobility.
- Contact resistance, surface oxidation, humidity, and measurement setup (series resistance of the meter) can alter observed values.
- Directional (anisotropic) structure: conductivity may depend on measurement direction (e.g., graphite).

If you tell me which specific solids you tested and what results you obtained, I can explain each result in terms of their molecular structure and what additional checks or experiments would confirm the explanation.